Page 7 of Help Wanted, Vampires Inquire Within
“You were right, I was an idiot to leave without waking you up,” she whispered, staring down at her shoes.
“No,” Mason said sharply. “You have every right to live your life as you want to. It wasn’t my place to shout at you.”
“But I put myself in danger,” she reminded him, guilt making her unable to meet his eyes.
“Tell me why,” Mason urged gently. “Why did you leave? I want to understand.”
“I wasn’t feeling well. I needed to be outside. I needed to touch the earth. I wasn’t thinking straight because it’d been so long since I had been outside.”
Mason cursed under his breath, making her flinch. Before she could start apologizing again, he pulled her into his arms.
“I’m not angry at you, I’m pissed as hell at myself. I’m an idiot! You needed to go outside; you’re a nymph. Please forgive me!”
“Nothing to forgive,” she answered, clinging to him.
“Tomorrow is Saturday, we can go for a hike or a picnic,” he offered.
“After you sleep in,” she said, determined to take care of him too.
“After I sleep in,” he murmured, stifling a yawn. “Is there coffee?”
Reluctantly, she ended the embrace and rushed to pull out one of the cans of iced coffee she’d asked Zan for. She was proud of herself for thinking of it and presented the drink to Mason with a bright smile.
“Thanks,mi cielo,” he murmured, popping open the top and drinking the entire can down in a few swallows. Tossing the can in the recycle bin, he grinned down at her. “I’m ready to talk to a vampire and eat some pizza. How about you?”
She forced an enthusiastic expression on her face. “Absolutely!” She grabbed a few of the candy bars from the pile and led him out of the studio and down the stairs.
It was clear to Skyler who was here for the interview. The vampire sat alone, not engaging with any of the gaiety going onaround him. The moment she stepped out from around a crowd of pixies, his eyes snapped to her like a predator focusing in on prey.
Vampires could see auras, so he could tell she was an unbound nymph.
As she drew closer, he stood up and offered her the seat next to him. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Mason was quick to step around her and take the spot he offered. The chair across the table from the vampire was the last one left.
“Thanks,” Mason said, his deep voice lacking any of his normal warmth. “I’m Mason, and this is Skyler. If you try to touch her without permission, I will shift and rip you apart. I’m descended from the original German gargoyles, so you know I’m not to be fucked with.”
Skyler knew Mason was lying. He didn’t know what lineage of gargoyle his father was, but it sounded good. All gargoyles were immune to vampire thrall, but German gargoyles had the added reputation for being the biggest, strongest, and most ferocious gargoyles on earth. Not even vampires messed with them.
The vampire's expression didn’t change. “As I said to Anatoly, I’m not interested in an unwilling bond. I’m here to learn about Skyler. I don’t want to be bound to someone insufferable for the rest of my long life either.”
“That’s good,” Skyler said, trying to give the vampire a bright smile. “I’m afraid I don’t know your name.”
The vampire gave her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s nice to meet you, Skyler. My full name is Arthur Ashton Bancroft III. At least for the next fifty or sixty years.”
“Uh, do I call you Arthur or Mr. Bancroft?” she asked, unsure if she should give him her full name also.
“I prefer you call me Cutie.”
He said it so blandly, it took her a moment to realize he was making a joke. When she started laughing, his smile turned real.
“There it is,” he said.
“What?” she asked, still chuckling.
“The real you,” he said. “When you sat down, you looked like a rabbit hoping the coyote didn’t notice her. Now you’re more relaxed. Tell me about the land you grew up on.”
He must’ve done his research because that was the exact right question to ask a nymph. They liked nothing more than talking about their land. Even though her bond to the land was through her parents, and she grew out of it by the time she was seventeen, it was a happy topic to discuss.
